The field of the disclosure generally relates to turbine engine components, and more specifically to bearing locking assemblies that couple bearing retainers to bearing housings.
Gas turbine engines typically include a compressor, a combustor, and at least one turbine. The compressor compresses air, which may be mixed with fuel and channeled to the combustor. The combustor then ignites the fuel mixture to generate hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases may be channeled to the turbine, which extracts energy from the hot combustion gases. The extracted energy from the combustion gases powers the compressor and produces useful work. For example, the extracted work may propel an aircraft in flight by driving a fan or propeller; alternatively the extracted work may generate power for an electrical load.
Gas turbine engines frequently contain one or more bearing assemblies to support rotating components within stationary housings. For example, a rotating shaft may be supported by a bearing to accommodate the rotating shaft while coupling the shaft to a stationary housing. Bearing assemblies may also support rotating elements between or within other rotating elements. Bearing assemblies typically feature one or more bearing retainers that secure the bearing in place relative to other structures, for example bearing retainers may secure the bearing within a bearing housing. Bearing retainers may be removable, for example, to permit initial assembly and/or repair of elements of the bearing assembly. More specifically, removable bearing retainers are typically threadably engaged externally or internally to the end of a shaft or housing, and locked into place with a locking assembly, such as a bolt and nut combination.
However, known removable bearing retainers have locking assemblies that require a large amount of radial clearance for assembly and disassembly. For example, known bearing retainers, such as annular spanner nuts, are coupled to the housing with a set of radially outward projecting bolts spaced around the circumference of the bearing retainer. A nut or similar device is coupled to the radially outside end of the bolt such that the bearing retainer and bearing housing are secured into place. However, because current bearing assemblies have nuts and bolts that are directed radially outward, the assembly requires significant radial clearance to accommodate tools that assemble and disassemble the bearing assembly. Accordingly, features such as radially outer damper housings and deeper scallops in the bearing housing are difficult to use without blocking or limiting access to the locking assembly. Accordingly, there remains a need for a bearing locking assembly which may be installed with limited axial and/or radial space.